Treating TMJ Disorder

Are you having difficulty chewing and talking? Do you experience frequent headaches, facial pain, or jaw pain? If so, you may be suffering from the condition commonly known as TMJ.

Dr. Patel Explains TMJ

Treating TMJ Pain with Botox

What is TMJ?

TMJ is an abbreviation for temporomandibular joint. It is affected by the mechanics of your bite and the condition of your jaw muscles. TMJ is highly sensitive to overall physical, emotional, and psychological stress; which can cause the joints to dysfunction, exposing nerve endings to create pain. The resulting temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) can create a variety of mild to severe symptoms, from jaw clicking and minor discomfort to sharp pain in your temple, ears, neck, and shoulders.

We recommend TMJ patients avoid the following:

Chewing gum

Hard or chewy food

Poor posture

Sleeping on back

Extreme jaw movements (singing, yawning, yelling)

Treating TMJ

TMJ is very common, so we evaluate every patient for TMJ dysfunction at their regular dental exam. If we detect a problem, our goals are to arrest it, protect teeth from further damage, and correct underlying bite misalignment.

One of the most effective treatments to lessen TMJ disorder pain is to inject the masseter and temporalis muscle with BOTOX®. Because BOTOX® relaxes the muscles and reduces jaw tension, the injection alleviates TMJ-related discomfort.

Other treatment options include fitting you with a bite appliance (mouth guard), suggesting ways to alleviate stress, and recommending symptom relief measures. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories or analgesics can be helpful as well.